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Rays to add Wil Myers to Major League roster

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Press Release |

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to select outfielder Wil Myers from Durham (AAA) Tuesday. He will join the team in Boston for the three-game series beginning Tuesday against the Red Sox. He will wear No. 9. To make room for him on the roster, the Rays optioned infielder Ryan Roberts to Durham. The Rays do not need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move because they had 39 players coming into today.

Myers, 22, was removed from Durham's game today against Indianapolis after the second inning. This will be his first action in the major leagues. He was hitting .286 (72-for-252) with 14 home runs, 13 doubles, 29 walks and 57 RBI in 64 games at Triple-A. In his last 23 games, he was hitting .354 (34-for-96) with 10 home runs, seven doubles and 32 RBI.

Entering the 2013 season, Myers was rated by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect, Best Power Hitter and Best Hitter for Average in the Rays farm system. He also ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the minor leagues by MLB.com. Last year he became the third player ever to win the Baseball America, USA Today and Topps Minor League Player of the Year awards in the same season, joining Andruw Jones (1996) and Josh Beckett (2001). He was acquired by the Rays from the Royals along with RH Jake Odorizzi, LH Mike Montgomery and 3B Patrick Leonard in exchange for RH James Shields, RH Wade Davis and INF Elliot Johnson.

Roberts, 32, has appeared in 47 games for the Rays this season, batting .238 (30-for-126) with three home runs and 13 RBI. He had started 18 of the Rays 19 games vs. left-handed starting pitchers and played primarily second base.